By Richard L. Gaw
Staff Writer

Richard Leff, who helped guide Kennett Township through its darkest period and assisted in restoring it to order, officially stepped away from his 12-year, two-term role as township supervisor at the conclusion of the board’s Dec. 17 meeting. 

He will be replaced on the board by Mike Bailey, a Democrat, who will be sworn in on Jan. 5 and join Republican Geoff Gamble and Democrat Pat Muller.

“Nearly twelve years ago, I took an oath to serve Kennett Township as a township Supervisor,” Leff said at the start of the meeting. “I had no idea then where that path would eventually lead, how much I would learn, or how deeply this community would shape me. What I did know was that I cared about my neighbors and this township, and I believed that local government, when done with integrity, could truly make a difference.

“Over those twelve years, we’ve seen change — some expected, some challenging, and some that tested us all. We’ve worked through growth and development, budget pressures, infrastructure needs, storms, financial fraud and COVID. We’ve also celebrated progress: new projects, stronger services, community events, and the steady work of improving the quality of life for the people who call Kennett Township home.”

Leff, a Democrat, first joined the board in 2014 when he defeated Republican Jim Przywitowski, a win that gave the Dems control of a board that had long been dominated by Republicans, as Leff joined Scudder Stevens, who had been elected in 2011. In 2014, Democrat Whitney Stevens joined Stevens and Leff on the board.

Long a proponent of open space, preserving township history and trail systems, Leff was instrumental in helping the township in the purchase and rehabilitation of the Spar Hill Farm, the Chandler Mill Bridge and the historic Fussell House, which had once been used to protect those seeking freedom on the Underground Railroad that figures prominently in the township’s history. He joined with his fellow supervisors past and current to protect nearly 10,000 acres of township property from development and, with Stevens, Hoffman and former township Manager Eden Ratliff, advocated for a unified alignment of fire and EMS units through the establishment of the Kennett Fire and EMS Regional Commission. 

In 2019, Leff, Stevens and Hoffman began a nearly two-year odyssey that stemmed from the accusation that former Manager Lisa Moore had been accused of embezzling $3.2 million from the township, a scheme that she began in 2013. The intricate system that Moore had created began to unravel in April 2019, when the township police department received a report from the Capital One Fraud Department related to money transfers Moore had made. After an initial review, the investigation was turned over to the Chester County District Attorney’s Office, who was assisted by Marcum, LLP, a forensic accounting firm hired by the township, in discovering the extent of Moore’s complex fraud schemes.

After an exhaustive eight-month investigation, Moore was arrested on Dec. 10, 2019, and on Oct. 4, 2021, Moore was sentenced by the Hon. David F. Bortner of the Court of Common Pleas to incarceration in a state correctional facility for a minimum of three years and a maximum of 10 years, on five different counts. Moore was released from prison in 2024.

“At that time, Whitney Hoffman, Scudder Stevens, and I could have taken an easier path,” Leff said about the Moore embezzlement, a period when he and his fellow supervisors were criticized by township residents for their lack of controls over the township’s fiduciary system. “Some urged us to keep things quiet. Some wanted us to settle for less and many, many more wanted us to resign, but we believed that we could best serve Kennett Township by working together to recover the funds and, more importantly, to build a stronger and better Township government. Which we did.”

To date, the township has recovered 85 percent of the money that was stolen. 

Following the Moore scandal, Leff, Stevens and Hoffman began to rebuild the township’s government that included the hiring of township Manager Eden Ratliff and Amy Heinrich, director of finance and human resources, and incorporating several financial checks and balances in the township’s accounting system. 

During the recognition of Leff’s 12 years on the board, township Manager Alison Dobbins presented Leff with a plaque signifying his long-time advocacy for the preservation of the Spar Hill Farm – and a personal bike rack that will be hung at the farm, acknowledging Leff’s passion for bike riding.

Leff’s colleagues on the board spoke about his contributions to the township.

“During his tenure, he introduced the township to new and more focused ways of thinking about the power of local government,” Muller said of Leff. “He championed the environment and the acquisition of open space, a benefit that affects every resident of Kennett Township. He worked hard in outlining a path for sustainable development to help balance economic progress with quality of life.

“He also took his amazing analytical skills as part of a multi-township group to look hard at ways to pull multiple township resources to create one of the first regional fire commissions in Pennsylvania – the Kennett Fire and EMS Regional Commission. The creation of this group has immeasurably helped to strengthen our emergency services responses and keep our communities and first responders safer.”

“In his 12 years as Kennett Township Supervisor, Rich has always put the welfare of our residents before anything else, be it a political party or the interests of a few,” Gamble said. “The fact is that national political parties play little or no part in the governance of our township. Rich and I are from different political parties, but in the 216 votes in which Rich and I participated on the last three years, we have voted on different sides only three times.

“Rich, with 12 years of service and countless hours of dedication to fulfill his responsibilities as an elected official, has done his bit. No one of us is irreplaceable, but some, like Rich, are unforgettable.”

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email [email protected].